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49ers Deliver Worst-Case Scenario News on Christian McCaffrey

Christian McCaffrey was tearing it up against the Bills before exiting early in the second quarter with a knee injury.

Jose Luis Sanchez III

Dec 1, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) tries to avoid Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) on a run in the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) tries to avoid Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) on a run in the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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The dark and gloomy 2024 season gets worse for the San Francisco 49ers.

On Monday, Kyle Shanahan delivered the worst-case scenario news on Christian McCaffrey. The PCL injury he sustained in the loss to the Buffalo Bills will sideline him for six weeks and he will be placed on Injured Reserve as a result. He is not expected to have surgery.

The 49ers had feared this after last night's game. Sure enough, the worst-case scenario pans out with McCaffrey out for the season. The good news is McCaffrey will not need surgery, so he would be okay if this was earlier in the season.

But given how late in the year it is, the 49ers have no choice but to shut him down. It's brutal to lose McCaffrey for the year after he worked so hard to get back to the field. He hadn't been performing efficiently until last night. McCaffrey racked up 53 yards on seven carries.

He was on an absolute tear against the Bills before he sustained his knee injury early in the second quarter. For his season to end right when he was starting to pop off is so unfortunate. It only emphasizes the bad luck he and the 49ers have had this year.

You couldn't make this up if you wanted to. Now, the 49ers must move on without McCaffrey with rookie Isaac Guerendo leading the way. All the hope and focus for McCaffrey will be to get right for the 2025 season so that he can get close to his 2023 form.

At this point, you have to wonder if we ever see that version of McCaffrey ever again.

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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.

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